LEFT BEHIND AND THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM

 

 

Left Behind and the Gospel of the Kingdom  

 

My goal is to explain left behind and the Gospel of the Kingdom in such a simple way that a young child will understand this future prophetic reality that will take place in the next dispensation after the rapture. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ who has that blessed assurance of the soon to be rapture of the Church then you want to do as much for God now in this present time. In some cases Christians may be led to leave left behind materials in your home so family, friends or even strangers can look it over and decide for themselves what decision to make regarding Jesus Christ and their hearts. Then they will have a clear understanding as to where all the Christians went (Heaven) and how they are to look at the coming tribulation period from a Biblical point of view.

 

I want anyone that is left behind to understand how much God really does love them and what they can do to accept this insurmountable love into their very own hearts. For those people that are really searching for answers I did not think it was my place to say "Hey guys I'm going to be raptured soon. Here are a couple of things - - best to you." If I were left behind (assuming that I am still living) and some of my family members and friends were missing I would be searching for the truth and would want simplicity. Bible, history and detail. After all the greatest event in the history of mankind has just taken place. Christians are missing and the news is probably saying aliens have abducted them in a U.F.O. This is just a guess but I actually think they will talk in that direction.

 

I would like to redirect my writing to the people left behind and talk about the subject of fear. In Revelation 21:8 the Holy Spirit lists eight sins (strongholds) that could cake up like concrete in the human heart and keep a person from accepting Jesus Christ into their hearts. In essence they have chosen the stronghold/strongholds over Jesus Christ. They made their choice. They unfortunately chose death. Jesus Christ is life.

 

The very first sin (stronghold) mentioned in this list is fear. We (the Body of Christ; Church) are living in the closing moments / seconds of the church age and even in this dispensation there is a lot of fear. The news will talk about fear and bad news because it sells but quite frankly there is almost no good news to report. Some Christian leaders talk about fear and they call it the Gospel but it is what the Bible refers to as "Another Gospel." Gal.1:6. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom but this is holy and reverential as opposed to cold oppression in the soul that usually takes the form of hyper anxiety.

 

I could list a whole host of horrible things that happened in the world. Fear became the companion of most people but very few people bothered to ask, "What is it?" Just because fear is our companion does not mean we understand this emotion. If anything we probably will not because fear is irrational by nature. God put fear into you to be directed back at Him in a holy reverential way. He wants to use it for His glory in your life. You must worship somebody or something in your life because the Bible says, " Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." Exodus 20:3. In Psalm 145:18 -19, the Bible says, "He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him: He also will hear their cry, and will save them."

 

A person will have one or the other (A) Fear in the world or (B) A holy reverential fear for God. There is no in between because fear is already inside of us so you have to make a choice. Of course there are different degrees of fear in the world and there are different degrees of reverential fear for God. There will be much talk of fear after the rapture of the church and there will be much fear on planet earth. There is already extreme uncertainly now and it will get way worse after the great snatching away of the body of Christ. People will have to come to terms with what the Bible says about fear. You will also have to understand that regardless of what cosmetics take place in the world the crux of the matter will be, "Who will you worship" and this subject will become more animated in the seven year tribulation period.

 

I mentioned that fear is the first sin ( stronghold) in Revelation 21:8 and I would like to say that it is just the opposite of true faith in Jesus Christ. It is also the opposite of the love of God. In 1st John 4:18 the Bible says " There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."

 

Self-preservation is our number one drive in life according to many studies taken on the subject. This very much involves fear. Before the "Fall" Adam and Eve were not self-preservationists. When Adam sinned fear became very much part of our world. During the tribulation period fear will be at an all time high. Remember faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God. Romans 10:17. If you read the Bible with a sincere heart fear will be translated to faith in God; however, we must be earnest, honest, and sincere with a heart that is transparent before God. Our Father in heaven will search our heart out because He knows the secrets of our soul. Psalm 44:21. He knows everything. There is not one thing God does not know. As Believers in Jesus Christ when we get to heaven remember the Bible says, "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear." Isaiah 65:24.

 

In this dispensation God will still have His message of love and grace. His Son died on the Cross as the perfect sacrificial atonement for the sins of people because He never sinned and He rose from the dead on the third day. I marvel at the plan of God for salvation because it so simple. All one has to do is accept His Son into his or her heart by faith and the individual will be saved; however, if one chooses law or some other way apart from Jesus Christ God will give him or her what they desire in their heart. Most people know the old saying, "You may get what you want but you may not want what you get.".

 

Jesus Christ is just about to rapture His true children out of the earth into His home which is heaven. The world talks about Revelation chapter 13 everyday in a direct or an indirect way and that is just one sign out of at least 20 different signs. There is most certainly more than 20 clues that our Almighty Lord Jesus is just about to resurrect His children home.

 

This article is called, "Left Behind and The Gospel of The Kingdom." What I am going to do is write about what is explicitly stated in Scripture relative to the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom. I am going to explain what is implied in Scripture with optimistic caution. Obviously an explicit verse is far easier to understand than a set of verses that are implied. In Matthew 24 and 25 Jesus talks about the seven year tribulation period. Starting in Matthew 24:4 and going all the way through Matthew 25 Jesus specifically warns about deception, wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes and then He says in verse 8 that, "these are the beginning of sorrows." I would say Jesus is describing a world completely out of control. Some of this is happening right now as we converse.

 

People usually don't approach fear correctly in their hearts when times get really bad so they are betraying one another according to this text in the Bible. Hatred rather than love is the overruling emotion. In fact two verses down from verse ten Jesus talks about iniquity abounding and people's love waxing cold. This is what sin does and betrayal and hatred is the end result. This always leads to death. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ." Romans 6:23. Here people have a choice to let sins and strongholds dictate to them on how they will think and act (hatred) or to accept Jesus Christ into their hearts by faith and allow His love to permeate their lives. This is not easy but it is biblical.

 

Love and hate are both powerful emotions but with hatred you have to keep feeding it again and again. It is always hungry and never satisfied. There will never be any real sense of closure with this emotion. On the other hand there is a contentment of peace about the love of God in our hearts. If you choose Jesus Christ He offers that comfort and this will dwell in your heart. Your life will radiate the presence of God. This will spiral into eternity. 

 

The tribulation period is not so much a physical battle as much as it is a struggle for the souls of men and women. Jesus talks about false prophets deceiving one another, the antichrist, the Jewish people fleeing for their lives and if all of this were not bad enough Jesus says, "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." Matthew 24:21.Then in verse 22 Jesus actually comes out and takes the reader to the end of the seven year tribulation and talks about rescuing Israel at the climax of the Battle of Armageddon. This is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Of course the world is in turmoil at this time but remember God is still in perfect control. Jesus backs up and gets a little more specific about the end of the seven year tribulation period. He then explains going deeper into Matthew chapter 25 that He arrives at His Second Advent (Second Coming) and gets into a lengthy discourse regarding His deliberation of judgment when He arrives on earth.

 

The title of this article is "Left Behind and the Gospel of the Kingdom" so I specifically want to focus my attention on this particular reality that will take place in the 7 year tribulation period. I shared with you from Scripture most of the terrible things in Matthew 24 (The Tribulation period); however, couched in verse 14 the Bible says " And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the World for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Matthew 24:14.

 

In the book of Revelation the people that are coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ are accepting Him by faith. "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Je'sus." Revelation 14:12. It says the same thing in Revelation chapter 13. "He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints." Revelation 13:10. The Kingdom (Gospel of the Kingdom) is referring to the 1000 year millennial reign of Jesus Christ. We in this church age beckon people to accept Jesus Christ into their hearts so they will be part of the bride of Jesus Christ and go up in the rapture of the Church. If you have not accepted the Lord into your heart and you are on this side of the rapture by all means today is the day of salvation. It would not be wise to tarry on that all important eternal decision because as of this writing we are seconds away from the great snatching of the bride.

 

Jesus knew all along that He was going to be rejected because He said,  "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you." John 16:7. Jesus Christ died on the Cross, rose from the dead, and showed Himself alive after His Resurrection for 40 days talking about the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). The Bible says, "And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight." Acts 1:9.

 

The Church (Body of Christ) will be removed with the Restrainer (Holy Spirit) and we will go to Heaven. On earth a new dispensation will start but what I want to focus on is not the bad news but the good news of Jesus Christ and His wonderful message of the Gospel of the Kingdom for this soon coming dispensation.

 

Remember God makes us perfect through His Son Jesus Christ though His simple message of salvation. If you decide to accept Jesus into your heart then God will see you as perfect because He will be looking at you through His Son Jesus Christ. God the Father will look at the Cross and through the empty Resurrection Tomb and see you as if you never even sinned but for this to be a reality in your life you have to make a decision to accept Him into your heart. If an individual is sincerely accepting Jesus into his or her heart obviously there is true repentance of sin in their spirit. Salvation is a work of God and just think it is just one simple prayer of accepting the Lord Jesus Christ into your heart. Then we live for Him in obedience and once again faith in an All knowing, All Seeing God who understands everything about our lives.

 

Wherever you are in life as you are reading this I hope you are starting to be convinced with conviction that Jesus Christ wants to come into your life and commune with you. The devil will throw roadblock after roadblock of deceptions to convolute the simple plan of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. According to the Bible Jesus Christ will be worshipped for all eternity, not the Devil. Isaiah 66:22 - 24 and Revelation chapters 21 - 22. The Devil will fail in his attempt to usurp the throne of God and ultimately be cast into the Lake of Fire for all eternity. "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Revelation 20:10.  

 

All of the prophetic program of God will be instituted not just the gospel of the kingdom being preached around the world. I believe this is the best news because people's eternal destinies are being changed from death to life in the Person of Jesus Christ. They will spend eternity with the Lamb of God in Heaven. I can not imagine spending eternity without Him.

 

Love in Christ,
Bob D.